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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · rest · fall · staff · hand · squash · face · date

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. squash — to crush
  5. face — to confront
  6. fall — to drop
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fall — to drop
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. staff — employees
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. hand — in cards
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. hand — help
  21. staff — employees
  22. date — the fruit
  23. fall — the season
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com